Leviticus 18

1 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 “Tell the Israelites: I am the Lord your God.

Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: I am the Lord your God.

3 Don't follow the ways of Egypt where you used to live, and don't follow the ways of Canaan where I'm going to take you. Don't adopt their practices.

You shall not act according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you have lived; nor shall you behave according to the habit of the region of Canaan, into which I will lead you; neither shall you walk in their ordinances.

4 Do what I tell you and keep my rules. I am the Lord your God.

You shall accomplish my judgments, and you shall observe my precepts, and you shall walk in them. I am the Lord your God.

5 If you keep my rules and do what I tell you, you will live. I am the Lord.

Keep my laws and judgments; when a man does these, he shall live by them. I am the Lord.

6 Don't have sex with a close relative.

No man shall approach her who is a close blood-relative to him, so as to uncover her nakedness. I am the Lord.

7 Don't shame your father by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; don't have sex with her.

You shall not expose the nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.

8 Don't have sex with any of your father's wives and shame your father.

You shall not expose the nakedness of your father’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your father.

9 Don't have sex with your sister, whether she's your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, or whether she was born in the same house as you or somewhere else.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether from father or from mother, whether she was born at home or abroad.

10 Don't have sex with your granddaughter, your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, because that would be shameful thing for you.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter, or your daughter’s daughter; for it is your own nakedness.

11 Don't have sex with the daughter of any of your father's wives and your father, she is your sister.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, whom she bore to your father, and who is your sister.

12 Don't have sex with your father's sister. She is a close relative of your father.

You shall not expose the nakedness of your father’s sister; for she is the flesh of your father.

13 Don't have sex with your mother's sister. She is a close relative of your mother.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, because she is the flesh of your mother.

14 Don't bring shame on your uncle by having sex with his wife. She is your aunt.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, nor shall you approach his wife, who is joined to you by affinity.

15 Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Don't have sex with her.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law, for she is your son’s wife; neither shall you expose her dishonor.

16 Don't have sex with your brother's wife and bring shame on your brother.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your brother.

17 Don't have sex with both a woman and her daughter. Don't have sex with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are her close relatives. That is something I loathe.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your wife and her daughter. You shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, so as to uncover her dishonor; for they are her flesh, and such sexual intercourse is incest.

18 Don't marry your wife's sister and have sex with her while your wife is still alive. They will be hostile wives to one other.

You shall not take your wife’s sister as a rival mistress; nor shall you uncover her nakedness, while your wife is still living.

19 Don't have sex with a woman during the time she is unclean because of her period.

You shall not approach a woman who is undergoing menstruation, nor shall you uncover her foulness.

20 Don't commit any sex act with any other man's wife. This would pollute you and make you unclean.

You shall not have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, nor shall you be defiled by the mingling of seed.

21 Don't give any of your children as a human sacrifice to Molech, for you must not disgrace the character of your God. I am the Lord.

You shall not give some of your seed to be consecrated to the idol Moloch, nor to pollute the name of your God. I am the Lord.

22 Don't have sex with a man as with a woman. That is something disgusting.

You shall not commit sexual acts with a male, in place of sexual intercourse with a female, for this is an abomination.

23 Don't have sex with any animal. This would pollute you and make you unclean.

You shall not commit sexual acts with any animal, nor shall you be defiled by it. A woman shall not lie down with a beast, nor commit sexual acts with it; for this is wickedness.

24 A woman must not give herself to an animal to have sex with it. That is something disgusting. Don't pollute yourselves and make yourselves unclean by doing anything like this. That's the reason I'm expelling these nations from the land—they polluted themselves because of all these practices.

Do not pollute yourselves with any of these things, by which all of the nations, which I will cast out in your sight, have been contaminated

25 Even the land has become polluted, so I am punishing it for the sins committed by the people who live there, and the land will vomit them out.

and by which the land has been polluted. I will visit the wickedness of the land, so that it may vomit out its inhabitants.

26 You, however, must do what I tell you and keep my rules. You must not do any of these disgusting acts, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you.

Keep my ordinances and judgments, and do not do any of these abominations: the native born, as well as the settler, who sojourns among you.

27 The people who lived in the land before you practiced all these disgusting things, and the land became polluted.

For all these detestable things were done by the inhabitants of the land who were here before you, and they have polluted it.

28 If you pollute the land, it will vomit you out just like it did the nations before you.

Therefore, beware, lest in a similar manner, it may vomit you out as well, if you do these same things, just as it vomited out the people who were before you.

29 Consequently anyone who does any of these disgusting things must be expelled from their people.

Every soul who shall commit any of these abominations shall perish from the midst of his people.

30 You must accept my demand that you don't follow any of these disgusting practices done before you arrived. Don't pollute yourselves and make yourselves unclean. I am the Lord your God.”

Keep my commandments. Do not be willing to do the things which have been done by those who were before you, and do not be polluted by these things. I am the Lord your God.